The guides surfaces located between the stamper member and the machine frame are generally in an X-arrangement with respect to each other and have an angle inclined in a direction approximately directed to a common central point. Adjustable strips are fitted to the guide surfaces for adjusting the clearance between the stamper member and the machine frame.
Forming machines such as drop forging presses used for hot forming have slide guiding surfaces in a so-called X-arrangement. When the stamper member gets hot while being used during the hot forming process, the material of the stamper member expands. As is known, the stamper member grows in the right-angled guides or box guides. In other words, the expansion takes place into the guide clearance generally available between the stamper member and the forming machine frame and thus leads to constant clearance changes.
This problem adversely affects the accuracy of the work process and leads to disturbances in the forming machines because of heating and wear.
In the X-arrangement of the guide surfaces to one another, there is, with expansion as a consequence of heating, a resultant in the direction parallel to the guide surface. The guide clearance set is not changed by this, and the difficulties mentioned above with box guides or similar guides are removed.
Generally, in the known guide assemblies, a carrier rail is disposed along the entire stamper member height to support a guide strip therealong. The carrier rail is screwed at least on the rear of the stamper member or the front of the stamper member on either the stamper-side or the support-side. These known carrier rails are removably mounted on either the stamper or support frame and as removable components make it possible to insert the stamper member into the forming machine. Thus, the removably mounted carrier rail is used at the same time for clearance adjustment either by means of driving screws, pressure screws, or by shim plates.
Consequently, the removably mounted carrier rails are particularly weak in stability and guide quality because of the flux of force concentration. That is, they cannot guarantee a stable guiding and thus the guide rigidity is considerably adversely affected.